Lately I’ve been working on strength training and adding some muscle to my frame. With research, you find that creatine is frequently recommended as a muscle gaining supplement and enhances almost all physical and even cognitive pursuits. I’ve been taking creatine monohydrate (Here is the exact product I’ve been using) and I’m seeing some really interesting results.
I want to caution this is not a controlled test as I’ve also been supplementing with protein powder from Gold Standard, magnesium, and fish oil. I’ve also increased my caloric intake significantly. That said, I noticed something very interesting yesterday while hitting in a very physical practice session. My speed seemed to have improved and my stamina was better than it’s been in a long time. I truly think the creatine supplementation was the cause of the improvements. I’ve played after extended increases in eating; I’ve supplemented with magnesium and fish oil for years. It seems like creatine monohydrate has made the difference.
I’ve added 30 pounds of weight (50/50 fat and muscle) so after practice yesterday I noticed my legs were much more fatigued. It felt like I had done squats at the gym. I think a few more hard sessions on the court will take that fatigue away but something worth noting. I hope my practice sessions yield added muscle to the legs, glutes, and hips as well as core. Those are the most important parts of a tennis player’s body afterall.
One of the things I frequently notice in tennis players is the ectomorph body type. It’s hard for tennis players to gain muscle and the workouts they do are more focused on limiting injury. Once players get to college, their workout plan changes and they start lifting heavy and trying to get stronger. I think players should consider doing weight training programs starting around 15 or 16 under the direction of a physician and assuming they don’t have any lingering issues. Having lower body, core, and upper body muscle is very valuable in high level tennis. It’s hard to get as big as Nadal… if it were easy, every guy would do it!
I have been taking about 5 grams in the morning and another 5 grams of creatine before bed. I’ll be cycling it for 3 weeks and then take 3 weeks off. I’ll update the post with some results after a couple of cycles.
PLEASE – don’t take creatine or supplements without consulting a doctor… don’t trust me, I’m not a doctor 🙂